Rob Carr/Getty ImagesLindy Ruff's regime with the Buffalo Sabres came to an end after his team's slow start.

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Lindy Ruff may not have seen the hammer coming down immediately, but he knew there was trouble in Buffalo.

The Sabres appeared to have a good chance at making a run at the Boston Bruins in the Northeast Division at the start of the season. The Sabres had been soft last year, and they added gritty Steve Ott from Dallas and humongous enforcer John Scott.

That definitely made the Sabres tougher, but it did not make them better.

It was one step forward and two steps back for Buffalo in this truncated season, and General Manager Darcy Regier decided he had seen enough when the Sabres dropped a 2-1 decision to the Winnipeg Jets in Buffalo.

The loss dropped the Sabres to 6-10-1. They are in last place in the Northeast Division.

5. Phil Housley

It's probably a long shot right now because former Sabres defenseman Phil Housley is coaching high school hockey in Minnesota, but he could have a shot at the Sabres' head coaching job.

Housley was a star for the Sabres from 1982 through 1990.

He was the coach of the 2013 U.S. Junior Team at the recent world championships, and led the American youngsters to the gold medal.

The Americans got the best of the Canadians and the Russians to win the gold, and that's a huge international win that gives Housley some coaching gravitas.

Housley would certainly be open to an opportunity if it came his way.

“I haven’t really pursued anything at this point,” Housley said in a phone interview with Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times after the Ruff firing was announced. “Sometimes you can’t just pick where you want to go. It’s the opportunity.”

4. Dallas Eakins

Dallas Eakins is the head coach of the Toronto Marlies, and he has been a very successful coach.

He coached the Marlies to the AHL Finals last year, and he has them winging along with a 26-17-5 record this season.

Eakins is not the usual head coach who says he doesn't care about the media or things written about his players.

In the video above, he honestly admits that he reads and watches everything that is said about his team because it helps him to understand what others are thinking, which can have an impact on his players' confidence.

Eakins also calmly dissected critical remarks from Don Cherry and never lost his patience or his temper.